Porter Airlines takes house cats and small dogs in the cabin only. There is no checked or hold option on any Porter flight, so a dog that does not fit in a soft carrier under the seat cannot fly Porter at all. The fee is 50 dollars (Canadian or US, depending on where you book) plus taxes per direction, and Porter allows just two pets in the cabin on any one flight. The carrier must be soft-sided and no larger than 55 x 40 x 27 cm (21.5 x 15.5 x 10.5 in), and it counts as your carry-on bag.
This guide follows Porter's own travelling with pets page as read in October 2026. Fees and rules can change, so confirm with Porter before you book, and check the entry rules if you are crossing the Canada and US border.
Porter pet rules at a glance
The table brings together the numbers most people look for first.
| Rule | Porter policy |
|---|---|
| Animals accepted | House cats and small dogs |
| Where the pet travels | Cabin only; no pets in the baggage hold on any Porter flight |
| Fee | 50 CAD or USD plus taxes, per direction, non-refundable |
| Pets per flight | Up to 2 in the cabin |
| Pets per passenger | 1 carrier, 1 pet per carrier |
| Carrier size | Soft-sided only, max 55 x 40 x 27 cm (21.5 x 15.5 x 10.5 in) |
| Carry-on allowance | Carrier replaces your carry-on bag; 1 personal item up to 33 x 43 x 16 cm |
| Notice | At booking if possible; at least 24 hours before departure |
| Check-in | Online check-in allowed, boarding pass collected at the airport counter |
Which pets Porter accepts
Porter restricts pet travel to house cats and small dogs. Other animals, such as rabbits, birds or ferrets, are not covered by the pet in cabin service. The pet must travel with an adult, fare-paying passenger, and Porter can refuse an animal that is aggressive or distressed at the airport.
Because there is no hold option, the real size limit is the carrier. Porter does not publish a weight limit on its pet page; instead, the pet must fit in a soft carrier of the maximum size, be able to stand up, turn around and lie down comfortably, and have no part of its body sticking out. In practice that works for most cats and toy or small breeds. A dog that is too big to stand and turn in a 27 cm high carrier is too big for Porter.
The fee and how to book
The pet in cabin fee is 50 dollars plus applicable taxes per direction, charged in Canadian or US dollars depending on the booking, which works out to about 50 to 57.50 with tax. A round trip is two fees. The fee is non-refundable, which matters if your plans change after you add the pet.
Pet space is sold on a space-available basis and Porter caps it at two pets in the cabin per flight. That limit is low, so the safest move is to add the pet when you book your own seat, or call the Porter Call Centre at 1-888-619-8622 as early as possible. Porter needs at least 24 hours' notice.
Porter's FAQ adds a practical tip: register the pet within 24 hours of booking your ticket. If the pet cannot be accommodated on the flights you picked, a ticket registered in that window can be changed without a change fee. If you booked through a travel agent, check with both the agent and the Call Centre, since the pet has to be added to the same booking.
Who cannot travel with a pet on Porter
Porter lists several situations where a passenger cannot have a pet in the cabin:
- Unaccompanied minors.
- Passengers travelling with an infant.
- Passengers who need a medical device stowed under the seat.
- Passengers acting as a registered travel attendant.
- Passengers seated in an emergency exit row.
The infant rule surprises many families. If you are flying with a baby on your lap and want to bring the family cat, another adult in the party has to be the one with the pet, seated in a normal row.
The carrier: soft-sided only
Porter accepts soft-sided carriers only. The maximum size is 55 x 40 x 27 cm, and the carrier has to fit under the seat in front of you and be stowed in line with Canadian Transportation Agency and US Federal Aviation Administration rules. If it does not fit, the pet will be denied travel, so measure the carrier on its own and with the pet inside, since a soft bag can bulge.
The carrier must be leak-proof and well ventilated, with only one pet inside. It stays closed under the seat for the whole flight. A hard plastic carrier is not accepted even if it is within the dimensions. Our guide to flying with a cat in the cabin covers how to get a cat used to a soft bag before the trip.
How the carrier affects your baggage
Your pet in its carrier counts as your one standard carry-on bag. You can still bring one personal item, up to 33 x 43 x 16 cm (13 x 17 x 6 in), such as a small backpack or handbag. Everything else has to be checked. Pack the pet's supplies, documents and a spare absorbent pad in the personal item, because you will not be able to get into a checked bag during the trip.
At the airport
You can check in online, but passengers with pets must pick up their boarding passes at the airport check-in counter. Allow time for this. The pet has to stay in its carrier from the moment you go through security until you reach your final destination.
At security, the empty carrier goes through the X-ray machine and you carry the pet through the metal detector. Pets are never X-rayed. Porter suggests a leash for the walk through the checkpoint, which is noisy, and you can ask for a private screening room if you are worried your pet will wriggle free. Our guide to going through airport security with a dog explains the process step by step, and the TSA small pets page has the US screening rules.
Once you are past security you cannot take the pet outside without screening again. Porter recommends cutting off food about two hours before heading to the airport and using the pet relief area before security. Porter also says it will not hold a flight if you miss it because you left the secure area for a relief break.
Connecting to another airline
Porter's pet rules apply only to flights it operates. If your trip includes another airline, including on an interline ticket, you need to contact that airline for its own pet rules, fees and limits. Each airline counts its own cabin pets, so a seat for the pet on Porter does not guarantee one on the next flight. If the connecting airline is Air Canada or WestJet, our guides to the Air Canada pet policy and the WestJet pet policy cover their rules.
Flying between Canada and the US with a pet
Porter flies across the border, and the airline leaves the paperwork to you. Its page says that if you take a pet out of the country or bring it into Canada, you are responsible for meeting all customs and entry rules, and it follows the IATA entry and exit requirements. Porter suggests three steps: contact the consulate or embassy of the destination country, ask your vet whether the pet meets that country's health rules, and gather the health certificate, vaccination records and any other documents before the trip.
For a dog flying from Canada to the US, the CDC rules apply: the dog must be at least 6 months old, microchipped and travelling with a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. A dog that has been only in Canada or other low-risk countries has a simpler path than one that has been in a high-risk country in the last 6 months. The CDC dog import page has the details, and our guide to pet transport from Canada to the US walks through them.
For a pet flying into Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency sets the rules, which focus on rabies vaccination for dogs and cats. Its travelling with a pet page is the place to check before booking, and our guide to pet transport to Canada summarizes them.
Service dogs and allergies
Service dogs are handled under separate rules from pets and are not part of the two-pet limit in the same way. If you travel with a trained service dog, read Porter's service dog section and contact the airline before the flight. Emotional support animals that are not trained service dogs are treated as pets.
Porter also has a policy for passengers with pet allergies. If you prefer not to sit near a pet, tell Porter before departure and it will make reasonable efforts to move you, or the pet owner, to seats that help.
Porter's liability for pets
Porter states that it does not accept responsibility for loss, delay, injury, sickness or death of any pet or service animal it carries, and that it takes no responsibility for feeding or caring for a pet in its lounges or in transit. That is common in airline terms, but it means the preparation is on you: a comfortable carrier, a pet that is used to it, water during long waits, and a plan for delays.
What if your dog is too big for Porter?
Because Porter has no hold option, a medium or large dog needs another plan. Options include an airline that carries pets in the hold on your route, a ground pet transporter for trips within Canada or across the border, or driving yourself. For a cross-border move, ground transport is often simpler than flying a big dog, since there is no crate weight limit and no seasonal heat embargo. Our guide to flying with a dog in the cabin explains how to tell whether your dog can realistically fly under the seat.
A sample Porter booking for a cat
Say you are flying from Toronto to Newark with a 4 kg cat. Book your seat and add the pet in the same booking, or call the Call Centre within 24 hours. Choose a window or aisle seat that is not in an exit row. Buy a soft carrier within 55 x 40 x 27 cm and let the cat sleep in it for a week or two at home. Check in online, then collect your boarding pass at the counter. Pack the cat's papers, a pad and a small bag of food in your personal item. Expect to pay about 50 US dollars plus tax each way.
Getting your pet ready for a Porter flight
Many Porter flights are short, but the full trip with check-in, security and boarding can still keep a pet in its bag for four hours or more. A few weeks of practice makes that much easier. Leave the soft carrier open at home with a familiar blanket inside, feed treats in it, then zip it closed for short periods and build up to an hour or two. Take a short car ride with the pet in the carrier so the motion and noise are not new on travel day.
On the day, offer a small amount of water before you leave, give the pet a last chance to relieve itself, and line the carrier with an absorbent pad. Keep a spare pad, a few wipes and a collapsible bowl in your personal item. Talk to your vet before giving any calming product, and never sedate a pet for a flight without veterinary advice.
Common mistakes with Porter pet bookings
- Bringing a hard-sided carrier, which Porter does not accept.
- Expecting to check a larger dog in the hold, which Porter never does.
- Waiting until a few days before the flight, when both pet spots are already taken.
- Booking a lap infant and a pet for the same passenger.
- Packing a full carry-on bag as well as the carrier.
- Forgetting the cross-border paperwork because the flight is short.